Shop Local :: Gifted in Jackson, CA!

October 19, 2017

I’m featuring a new stockist and I have the best story about them!

First things first: sometimes I pitch my line to stores. They don’t always find me- and it’s totally understandable, so I need to find them! Owning a store or being the buyer for a busy large brick and mortar means you not only wear all the hats of a creative entrepreneur, you wear the hats that come with running a store.

So I try to make it a little easier by sourcing shops where my line may be a good fit.

Gifted, in Jackson, California followed me on Instagram, and I naturally followed back. I have a system where I send a postcard and email followup to potential stores, and I sent Gifted a postcard in April, and Jeannette, the owner of Gifted, replied back right away. Mid-summer was going to be a better time for her to buy, so I told her I’d follow up then. I LOVE when store owners give me some insight into their open-to-buy (an open-to-buy is basically a budget that tells buyers when they’ve got budget to buy goods again). Being a former buyer, I understand this challenge, so I always appreciate store owners and buyers being up front with me.

Fast-forward to later in April, and I’m teaching my class on Gamaguchi Clutches at Craftcation in Ventura, California, and you would never believe who is a student in my class:

None other than Jeannette! It was such a pleasant surprise. It was so good to meet her in person, laugh together (she is hilarious), and craft together. She even complimented my approach to stores, which was the ultimate compliment.

About mid-summer Jeannette was ready to put an order together, and now the MarshMueller line is in stock at Gifted!

Here’s more about Jeannette and Gifted:

Owned by a mother-daughter team, Gifted strives to create a store featuring locally made and American manufactured gifts and goods. Terry Scott and Jeannette McDonald believe that tomorrow’s heirlooms are being made in our own backyards, studios, and garages (seriously, that gives me all the feels).

They overhauled a space on the ground floor of a three-story Odd Fellows building in 2011 in Jackson, California, and continue to seek out new artisans and American-made product to feature at the shop.

Many times if a store isn’t geographically close, I may never meet the owner/buyer, and it was SO amazing to actually meet Jeannette in person (at Craftcation, of all places!).

So if you’re in the Jackson, California, area, be sure to shop local at Gifted (and tell Jeannette hi for me!).